Hillside tractor



Nov. 4, 1930. w. G. ROGERS HILLSIDE TRACTOR 2 Sheet-Sheet 1 Filed Sept23, 1929 W 6 Ho era IVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

NOV. 4, 1930. W 5 R S 1,780,799

HILLSIDE TRACTOR Filed Sept. 25, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 4,1930 UNITED WALTER e -mems, or tnavnuwourn, nes s nILLsI DE TRACTORApplication filed September23, 1929. Serial No. 394,563.

This invention has for its object the pro- Fig. 3 is a detailperspectlve view of the 15 means for effecting vertical adjustment of aside wheel, 7 j v V v H f Fig. 4 is a detail sectional elevation of themounting of a side wheel, and

Fig. 51s a sectional elevation of the mounting of the front steeringwheel. H

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a main frame or chassis1 whichis pref; erably constructed of channel bars and is in the form ofa rather narrow elongated open 25 frame having its side portions carriedupwardly adjacent its front end, as shown at 2, whereby to form an archabove the front steering wheel 3 and accommodate the .rela

tive angular movements of said wheel. The

30 frame is supported by said frontv steering wheel 3 and by a singlewheel 4 whichis disposed at the rear end of the frame, said rear endbeing widened somewhat relative to the main portion of the frame so asto accommodate the wheel. The driving wheel 4 is disposed on the mediallongitudinal line of the frame and it has substantial width so as tofirmly support the frame, being carried by an axle 5 which is journaledin bearings 6 secured upon the upper sides of the frame, as clearlyshown. At one side of the driving wheel 4, a sprocket gear 7 is securedupon the axle 5 and a sprocket chain 8 is trained v about said sprocketgear and a sprocket 4 inion 9 which is secured on one end of a shaft 10mounted in suitable bearings upon the frame and extending transverselyof the frame. A motor 11 which will preferably be an internal combustionengine and is illustrated in a conventional manner only The inventionthe base of the upwardly projectedportion 2.

.. with a steering rod 24 by a universaljoint is mounted upon the frameapproximately 7 midway the length thereof and is connected by suitablegearing with-the'shaft 10 so that power will-be imparted to therear'axle to propel the machine. The motor may :be con trolled throughdevices mounted upon an instrument board 12 supported by posts or othersuitable elements, indicated at 13, rising froi the foot boards 1esecured uponthe frame at 0 An operators seat 15 is carried by a standard16 rising from said foot boards. v v

The front steering Wheel 3 is mounted in the lower end of a yoke or fork1? which has a spindle 18 rising centrally fromits upper end, and thisspindle is journaled in a block 19 carried by the chassis adjacent thefront end thereof. Anti-friction bearings 20 are fitted between theunder side of the block 19 and the top of the yoke orfork 17 'toinsureeasy turning of the steering wheel and to the upper extremity of thespindle 18 is secured a Worm gear 21. The block 19 is constructed withbearing lugs or ears 22 which spaced apart on a line tangential to theWorm gear 21 and disposed obliquely with respect to the chassis. Fittedin the bearing lugs 22 is a worm "shaft 23 meshing with the worm I gear21 and having its inner end connected 25. The steering rod 24; ismounted. in the upper end of a post or othersupport 26 rising from thefoot boards 14 and at the rear end of the steering rod is secured a handwheel 27 whereby the rod may be manipulated in a well knownma'nner. Ifthe hand Wheel 27 and the rod 24 be rotated, the motionwill betransmitted through the worm gearing to the spindle 18 so thatthesteering wheel 3 a. Will be set at an angle to the ehassisand thetractor thereby caused to w re one or the other side. The worm gearing-serves as a brake er lock to aid-in holding the steering wheel in theangle in which it .i nay be set and also transmits the motion er thehandwheel easily to the steering wheel sothat the labor of steering thetractor will be min-i miz'edL It will be noted thatthe hand wheel solocated that it maybe easily handled by an operator span "the sea't15,and it win be 106 frame and extendingacross the same to aid v V, .o

' ""caster Wheel 36; vUponreference to F 1g. 4,

in-supporting the motor is a transverse frame h 28 which is composed ofchannel bars having their intermediate portions d1sposed'obl1que-' ly soas to extend upwardly 'andioutwardly from the chassis andthereby bringtheir'e'nd portions 29 into planes above the horizon; At each outer endof the cross frame is provided a: guide 305 tal plane of the chassis.

through which extends avertically disposed rack bar 32 extending fromthe upper end ofjasocketmember 33. in which is slldably mounted aspindle 34 which at its lower end v I I 1 v "Ajhillsidetra'ct'orcomprisinga relatively mergesinto a'yoke orfork- 35 carryinga ..it willbenotedtha t the spindle 34 is of 'ency' to break or to cause circularcross section so that it 'may'eas'ily" rotate in'the cap plate 37 whichis secured across the lower end of the socket 33 and on the uper end :ofthe'spindle is ahead or enlargement 38 between' which 'and the end wallofthe socket'isan'expansion spring 39 which; serves as ao shock'absorberto permit the oaster Wheel to ride "over inequalities'in ends ofthecross frame, caster wheels swiveled in the lower ends of theme]; bars,transverse the surface ofthe ground without any tendbreakage of anyother part. The cap plate'37 extends entirely t J v pinion-42m itsoutere'rid meshing with the adjacent'rack 32 and being provided at its 7the front end oft he shaft being provided with across the lower end offthe socket33 so as to close thesame and constitutes an abutment 'inthepath of the head or enlargement 38 to prevent the same dropping from thesocket. Bearings 40 are *provided'upon' the top of the endmembers 29 anda shaft 41 is journaled in these bearings, said shaft having a innerend-with a pinion 43. Other bearings 44: are provided upon the members29 of the cross frame and an operating shaft 45 has its rear portionjournaled in these bearings andequipped witha worm 46between them,

a- ;hand whee1i7 which may be easily reached .by the operator upon theseat 15. The shaft 45 with its hand wheel 47 and the gearing cooperatingtherewith are duplicated at the two ends oflthecrossframe' so thattherewillbe afcaste'r wheel 36 at each side of the chassis ormain frameand spacedlaterally therefrom. The caster wheels will trail and willturn freely upon their swiveledmountin of the heads 38 within therespective soc ets 33 and they are independently vertically adjustableby means of the respective shafts 4:5. By turning either shaft 45', theshaft 41 geared thereto'will be also rotated and the pinion 42 thereonwill be, consequently, caused to cooperate with the rack 32 to effectvertical movement of the latterand thereby Connected firmly'with thechassis or main raise or lower the connected caster wheel. By

raising one caster wheel and lowering the other, the tractor will beadjusted to run evenly upon a hillside and will be maintained upon alevel even though it is mainly supported by only two front and one atthe rear.

wheels, one I at the VMy improved tractor is, obviously composed of fewparts which are simple in their hillside, it may, nevertheless, beadvanta- I geously'employed upon a level surface and Y may be quicklyadjustedtoconform to a level surface as allthat is to be done is toproperly j manipulate the 'two shafts $5.5" I, u Having 'thus described-the inventionQZ-I 7 claim narrow elongated chassis,'a singlesteeringwheel at the front end" of the chassis, means" for setting saidwheel from a. seat on the chassis, a single drlvlng wheel at the rearend ,of the chassis, a motorion thecha'ssis between the ends thereofoperatively "connected with the drivingwheel, a' cross frame rigidlysecured to and extending from'the sides of the chassis in advance ofthedriving'wheehvertic'ally movable r'ack 'bars mounted in the outersh'afts'mounted on the cross frame, pinions at the outer ends of saidshafts meshing with the respectively adjacent rack bars, worm pinions atthe inner ends of'said'shafts, lon- Y gitud-inal shafts" journaled uponthe cross frame and extending front of the same adj acent theoppositesides 7 of the chassis,"worms on the rear ends ofsaid longltudinalshafts meshmg wlth the respective worm pinions,

and means at 'tfhe front ends'of said longitudinal shafts accessible;from a seat on thechassis forrotating the said shafts whereby tomaintain the level of thetractor. f p In testimony whereof I aflixmysignature.

' WALTER G; ROGERS. [as] forwardly beyond the

